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ENGL110 class page

Getting Started

Creating your podcast

Creating a podcast or audio essay is not as simple as recording yourself reading a paper that you wrote for class. A successful podcast will engage listeners with a strong narrative, descriptive writing and quality audio. Plan ahead and start early. Have a focused message. Keep the audience in mind.

Use the podcast planning worksheet to think through the purpose, audience, structure and tone of your audio project and outline the structure and content.

To record audio with your own laptop, you will need two things:

Recording software

  • We recommend Audacity, which is free and works on Windows or Mac.  Please refer to this guide for installing Audacity on your computer. For more on using Audacity, please see the Edit tab to the left.
  • Zoom is a great option for recording and you can edit different clips together in Audacity.

Microphone

  • If you have headphones with a built in mic, use that over your built-in computer mic.
  • If you record with your phone, make sure to have the phone close the speaker, otherwise the audio will sound farther away.
  • Borrow a Blue Yeti USB mic kit at the Student Multimedia Design Center on the lower level of Morris Library. Equipment is available for 3 day loans. To use the microphone, just plug it in with the supplied USB cable and choose it by name in Audacity.

Audacity

Audacity is a free, cross-platform audio recording and editing software.

Garageband

Garageband is a Mac only, free audio recording and editing software. It is different from Audacity in that it is more centered around creating music with free loops and software instruments built-in. However, it can be used for creating podcasts, and audio essays as well.

When you're finished with your podcast, make sure to export it from the audio editing software to an MP3 file. Submit the MP3 file to Canvas or share an accessible Google Drive link to download it.

Code Switch by NPR

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Radiolab by WYNC Studios

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Science Vs by Gimlet

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Ologies by Alie Ward

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